Overview & Reviews

Mercury was a division of Ford Motor Company marketed as being somewhat more upscale than Ford. Throughout the latter part of its 71-year history, Mercury's vehicles were essentially Fords with unique styling details and special features meant to enhance their desirability relative to similar Ford products.

It all started in the 1930s, when Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, saw an opportunity to create an additional brand within the Ford hierarchy, one that would exist between the everyman Ford Deluxes and premium Lincoln Zephyrs. To achieve this, Edsel felt the vehicles of this new brand should offer distinctive styling along with innovative features and better capabilities. He named the new division "Mercury," after the Roman mythological god. The 1939 Mercury Eight was the division's first car. It distinguished itself from similar Ford products via a 95-horsepower engine that offered 10 more horses than the Ford V8.

The Eight proved to be a hit, with more than 155,000 sold by the early 1940s. Production stopped during World War II; after the war, the brand was realigned more closely with Lincoln. The company grew from strength to strength in the '50s, establishing itself as a maker of vehicles offering style, performance and cutting-edge technology. A dash of glamour was added to the automaker's image when James Dean appeared onscreen in a Mercury in the film Rebel Without a Cause.

The 1960s saw the introduction of Mercury's Comet and Meteor vehicles. The Comet featured diminutive dimensions and luxury accoutrements, while the Meteor was a midsize family car that followed the trend toward more reasonably sized cars. Racetrack wins boosted awareness of the Comet and helped the model make a big splash in terms of sales. By the end of the decade, the iconic Mercury Cougar, a variation of the Mustang, had been rolled out, its Eliminator version taking its place in the pantheon of legendary early muscle cars.

Hit hard by that decade's oil crisis, consumers during the 1970s were hungry for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Mercury responded with a new, smaller Comet and the Bobcat, the former a fancier version of the Ford Maverick, the latter a fancier version of the Ford Pinto. The brand's sales grew during a decade that was filled with turbulence and uncertainty for many competing marques. Mercury further expanded its lineup in the '80s, this time including the small, Ford Escort-based Lynx. Mercury enjoyed success with the 1986 launch of the Sable, a fraternal twin to the Ford Taurus whose sleek, aerodynamic lines and futuristic "light bar" front end styling set it apart from the Ford.

Mercury's sales hit an all-time high during the 1990s that would never again be matched. Minivans and SUVs were a big reason for that as Mercury introduced its Villager minivan and Mountaineer SUV. Late that decade it introduced a new Cougar, which differed from its predecessors by being a front-drive sport compact that also holds the distinction of being the last Mercury that wasn't a rebadged Ford.

The years following the new millennium were challenging for the brand, as changing consumer tastes and a lack of differentiation between Mercury and Ford vehicles hurt sales. Pundits often proclaimed the end of Mercury was near, but Ford kept stating it would keep Mercury around despite offering no hope for any unique future vehicles from the brand. Finally in 2010, Ford pulled the plug on Mercury, putting an end to more than 70 years of car-making heritage.

User Reviews:

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  Nice car; some issues - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By DougB - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car used with 82,000 Kms (50,000 miles) on it and have had some issues. The day time running lights dont come on. The high-beam indicator only works sporadically (causing me to blind people from time to time). These two problems may be related; not sure. The biggest issue was a cracked transmission case causing loss of fluid. This perhaps isnt a workmanship issue with the vehicle; possibly damaged by debris or something. I replaced the transmission with a used one a few months back and everything seems fine. The car is a pleasure to drive and after 7 years still looks immaculate; no rust.

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  2000 cougar - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By skysurf - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I have about 90000 miles on this car with no problems whatsoever. Its a very solid car, good gas mileage, and quick.

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  TLC and my cougar went a long way - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By Brittaney8807 - June 21 - 7:23 pm

  I bought my car my senior year of high school because I needed a car that I could drive and I could fit in, and it was the only one on the lot in my price range (two grand). I brought it home, and never had any problems with it until it hit the 170000 mile mark, than it completely fell apart on me, so I had the engine rebuilt because I loved the car, its durable, and not overbearingly powerful, and a nice car to take to college with. Since than I have never had a problem with it, just keeping up maintenance and driving on.

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  Old Folks Car - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Merleal2 - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Great for trips, poor man luxery car.

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  middle of the road - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By A Driver - June 10 - 2:36 pm

  Although performance doesn t close to match the looks of the car, its been very dependable. A little over 60k and no problems, however ergonomics leave much to desire (why cant I shift if my passenger is fiddling with the radio?) and the steering is soooooo stiff. Im not sure who this car is made for since I find the dash too high and seat too low and my husband doesnt have enough head room. In general, the seats are really uncomfortable.

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  2002 Mountainer, surprised by quality - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By gabrielu - June 10 - 3:26 am

  Wife loved it at first sight but later wanted a smaller car, so I have driven it for the last five years. We occasionally think about selling it but do not. I have never had a problem with the car other than very minor issues (door open sensor, heated seat) both inexpensive to fix. Otherwise I have just changed oil regularly and done the 60k checkpoint (not much there either). Is my first Ford and I am completely turned around on old perception. We have a Mercedes and a Toyota in the family, The former is a money pit, the latter is good but feels so much cheaper. We are almost at 100k and cannot find a good reason to sell it. I guess I got the lucky one

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  Favorable - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Patrick OBrien - June 9 - 2:00 am

  The only real complaint I have is about the radio. The subwoofer vibrates the parcel shelf and the overall sound quality is not near as good as in my F- 150 pick-up. I am very happy with the vhecile as a whole. I an also the previous owner of a Taurus SHO ans a couple of Miatas.

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  Great Quanity, Desire more quality. - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Veldboom - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Roominess for peole and luggage is the greatest feature. The seats are not as comfortable as in the 93 Grand Marquis. The engine runs well at 110,000, but several suspension parts needed replacement. Usually I do not need that type of repair. My Camry (with independent suspension) seems smoother on the highway and requires less maintenance.

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  205,000 Miles and still going. - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By GAT - June 5 - 11:06 pm

  Purchased as a used rental car in 99. I need it to go another 80,000 miles til i retire and i think it will. Only recurring problems are brake calipers. Replaced both rear. Comfortable, dependable and good passing power.

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  Dream Car - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By dicky - May 29 - 7:30 pm

  Excellent handling on slick roads. Braking very good. Has plenty of power for passing. CVT provides smooth acceleration. Very good view of outside.